Dahake presence confirmed at alternative lit meet in Toronto

Though the 4th Vishwa Marathi Sahitya Sammelan (VMSS) that was to have started today in Toronto was scrapped by the Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Mahamandal (ABMSM) , veteran Marathi poet and president of 85th Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan (ABMSS) Vasant Abaji Dahake will be visiting the venue to attend an alternative literary meet.

“We welcome poet Dahake for our own literary meet,” former VMSS convener Leena Deodhare said yesterday. “Dahake is in the US and will be visiting Toronto as per our invitation. Thought the earlier meet has been scrapped, he is ready to visit Toronto for our alternative sammelan at the same venue and timing, between August 31 and September 2. The alternative literary meet begins today with the same enthusiasm.”

Dahake will be at the venue in Toronto with his wife Prabha Ganorkar, who is also a poet, and writer Monika Gajendragadkar, one of the invitees. While Dahake met his daughter in the US, Gajendragadkar was already on her US tour and had planned to go to Toronto.

“My daughter Monika will certainly go to Toronto though the VMSS was scrapped by ABMSM,” Gajendragadkar’s mother Ragini Pundlik said. Noted photographer and writer Sandesh Bhandar, who is close to Dahake family, said the poet had reached the US much earlier and was not aware that VMSS was scrapped.

Deodhare confirmed that Dhake had accepted the invite to attend the alternative literary fest organised by the Marathi Bhashik Mandal (MBM). “As per our previous contract with the ABMSM, we are paying for his airfare and accommodation in Toronto,” Deodhare said.

Several noted literatures and poets, including N D Mahanor, Ramdas Phutane, Dr Anil Awachat, Niraja and Anjali Kulkarni, among others, were invited for the VMSS.

“We are fully aware that nobody will come to Toronto and feel sorry for not making them available for the Marathi literature lovers in Toronto. As a stopgap arrangement, we have thought of writers and poets from the US itself, including Sudhir Kulkarni, Priyadarshan Manohar, Neelima Kulkarni and a few more,” Deodhare said. “The show will go on without many literatures coming from Maharashtra,” she added.

Neeraja, a well-known poet and writer, said it was shameful that such an important literary event got scrapped because of miscommunication between the organisers.